SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced that 1,677 teams from across the nation have earned the distinction of Scholar Team for the 2016-17 academic year, including 17 of Spring Arbor University’s athletic programs.

The men’s outdoor track and field team led all SAU programs with a 3.73 grade-point average while three other squads owned a GPA of 3.5 or higher – women’s tennis (3.69), volleyball (3.63) and women’s soccer (3.50).

For a team to be considered for the NAIA Scholar-Team award, it must have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) as defined by the institution. The team grade-point average includes all eligible varsity student-athletes.